The Blessed Imperfectness of Church

The husband and I attend a great church across town, full of delightful characters. We have many of the elderly in wheelchairs and walkers, we have a whole Sunday School class made up of those who are mentally challenged, who really love to worship Jesus and talk about him. We have plumbers and school principals, babies and stay-at-home moms. Career women and retired missionaries, and everything in between.

I've really never been a fan of southern gospel music, but when they play and sing it at this church, which they often do, I don't mind so much. I sense that they are really, sincerely, worshipping God, and it makes me sing louder. (Ask the husband, I do sing plenty loud in church.)

One of the things I hate in churches is fakeness and hypocrisy. Sorry, that's two things. And I happen to believe God hates them, too. And being raised as a Baptist pastor's daughter, I have an uncanny nose for such things. Insincerity stinks, and I can smell it a mile away. That's another reason I like our church.

Now, I'm not saying it's a perfect church--I'll admit it's quite imperfect. We are all imperfect creatures, after all, always in need of God's grace. But there's a freedom at the church that I really dig. 

I like that there are old people and young people at our church. I like the way people raise their hands often while they are worshipping God, young and old. I like the way they kneel at the altar up front to pray for needs, and the way they pray out loud, leaving nothing on the table. Pouring it all out to God. Especially my 73-year-old mentor, Doris. She's been praying practically her whole life, and she prays like God is listening and ready to respond; she prays boldly and often. It's a way of life for her, really.

And here's something that's pretty fantastic, too: when I go to prayer meeting on Wednesday night (which I never pictured myself doing, but I love), people come in who have messed their lives up royally but are turning back to God. And these people, of whom some are "the least of these" Jesus tells us to minister to, show signs of God's movement in their lives, and you remember how very real this relationship with Jesus is. And how it changes everything. And these people pray to Jesus very desperately, in a good way. And they know he is their only hope. And that is a very beautiful place to be.

This is why the church has a food pantry, and Angel Food Ministries, and a hispanic campus, and several outreaches throughout the year where they provide things that people in the community need. It's because Jesus loves everyone intensely, but he especially commanded us to serve the poor.

And there's something really cool about our church that's brand new for me, too. Our particular denomination ordains women, and we happen to have an amazing female pastor at our church. She heads up the evangelism ministry, while her husband serves as senior pastor, and together they make an amazing team. To say this is shocking to some of you would be an understatement. 

My own views on this issue have been evolving, first as I undertook a study of all of the New Testament women several years ago, and then as I've been noticing some things in Scripture for the first time that actually assume women were involved in prophesying in the early church. But don't get me started about Lydia and Phoebe, Nympha and Tabitha, Susanna and Joanna, Mary Magdalene, etc. And how about Deborah in the Old Testament? This is neither the time nor the place. :)

It's just freeing to see Pastor C., a woman using her giftings to their full potential, doing exactly what God has called her to do. And quite frankly, this is one of the reasons I am pursuing chaplaincy ministry, because I feel God's call on my life. It is not to make a point, except for this: Jesus loves me and those around me very intensely, wants to rescue us from our sin, and wants me to share the beauty of what that rescue means with others, so they can know him, too.

In summary, I'm experiencing church in a new and different way. But it's a good different. In chaplaincy ministry, it's amazing to see how chaplains of so many different denominations come together to share Christ. It's moving to see so many people who approach their worship and sometimes their faith differently, still hold the essentials of what Jesus has come to do for us dear. 

I am blessed by the imperfectness of church. And I hang on the shining moments when people who love Jesus love well in return. Even in the midst of a very precarious time in history, it gives me great hope for the future. 

De Grand Hotel

Ever visited Mackinac Island? If so, you'll agree that it's a kinder, slower pace there. Friendly and stately, it's one of the largest destinations where travel is done strictly by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. No motorized vehicles are allowed.

So last week, we were heading to the Island--and the Grand Hotel specifically--for a wonderful marriage conference. And here's the husband waiting very patiently to board the ferry.

In case you're wondering what he's thinking, I'll take a guess: "There she goes again, snapping my picture for her blog. Maybe if I act like a statue she'll snap a photo of the boat or something, anything else. Rrrrr....maybe not..."

As for me, I was just happy to be headed to one of my all-time favorite places:

Due to some pretty amazing October squalls, the 15-minute ferry ride looked like a car wash, with waves crashin' and splashin' against the windowed walls. Check out the mini-prism on the left.

Happily, snappily, we arrived on the Island, where we promptly hiked the back way to the Grand Hotel. Actually, we didn't have a clue where we were going, but after one island-dweller with a completely straight face insisted we needed to take a boat down to Chicago and then over to Detroit, before returning to find the hotel, we discovered we could hoof it there by walking through the lawn of the Island School. After cresting the hill beyond the school, the hotel soon came into view.

Pretty grand, isn't it? For all of you who appreciate history:

It's quite a breathtaking place, really. But since it was made in oh, 1887, specifically, it does have a few quirks. One of them was our room, which happened to have two full beds and a really strange slope that moved dramatically downward from the windows to the entry door. You actually walked up to get to the other side of the room. Which meant David almost fell out of bed that night, when he began to roll toward the door. Thankfully, he managed to keep himself from falling overboard...er, overbed.

All in all, we had a great stay...complete with a fancy-shmancy dinner in the hotel dining room. Here's me, smiling real big after tasting some exquisite creme brulee.

Oh, and here's a photo of my shrimp and scallops appetizer. Not a lot of food on a plate, but it was delicious nonetheless. And they make up for it with an incredible amount of silverware. Four spoons and five forks, for pete's sakes! 

We leave you with one more photo of The Grand Hotel courtyard, where Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour fall in love in the movie "Somewhere in Time." But before we do that, for any couples who could use an inspiring romantic getaway, we highly recommend the Celebrate Marriage conference, with our friends Jay and Laura Laffoon, held at Mackinaw six times a year. It's money incredibly well spent as you make this memory together. Cheers!

Cardboard Testimonies

Tears. That was the natural reaction, as this video of "cardboard testimonies" representing lives changed by Jesus' love. Thanks to our dear friend, Janet, for emailing the link. Not all of us have eight minutes to spare...but we can usually find eight minutes if needed. I have to tell you, your time will be well invested:

Thoughts?

What Would Jesus Say . . . about Politics?

I'll admit it. I've missed the last two presidential debates. And I really hate to say this, but I feel like I haven't missed much. Today I received an email from a friend whose sister had sent along this quote from the book In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen--a dear author, Jesus-follower, treasurer of the least of these, and Catholic priest. (If you get to know him through his writings and things written about him, you'll come to treasure him for his pure love relationship with Jesus.)

Read below and you might understand why I consider myself neither a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. (This is a big change for me from just 15 years ago.) You might even start to contemplate how a Jesus-follower like Billy Graham could be a Democrat while ministering to several Republican presidents, or why a Republican might sincerely love a Democrat and come to respect his or her perspectives.

That would be because these individuals are not about politics. They are about listening to the voice of love that can be heard only by sitting at Jesus' feet. Note the sentence I highlighted, too, guys...and feel free to comment on this post! Would love to hear from you.

"Christian leaders cannot simply be persons who have well-informed opinions about the burning issues of our time. Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the incarnate Word, Jesus, and they need to find there the source for their words, advice, and guidance. Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen again and again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them. Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness because, before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion about a given subject. But when we are securely rooted in a personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and true witnesses without being manipulative."

More on Henri Nouwen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Nouwen

Dream this, dream that

I do not understand my dream life. Not at all.

Just yesterday, I took an afternoon nap and started to awake in the middle of a vivid dream. I was having a picnic with Obama, folks, a real middle-America picnic, and I believe Robin from Good Morning, America was there also. Couldn't tell you why exactly. Except that I really like Robin. She's always struck me as the friendly sort--and besides she appeared on TV every morning while going through chemotherapy and radiation!! The girl is strong AND kind.

So there was Obama, standing behind this table with a red and white checked tablecloth, of course, when he said something unusual. He said that all of the food we consume at this picnic must be red. (Which is ironic, isn't it, considering he's hoping for "blue" states, not "red" ones.) But anyhoo, I'm not making this up. So I was panicking a little, when I realized I could eat a red-skinned potato at this picnic. Yes, I was even pleased at the prospect. (Why? Probably because I have red-skinned potatoes in the cupboard. David thinks I should have chosen watermelon.)

But anyhoo, we moved away from the food table to encounter a pretty young thing who claimed she had a picnic with my darling husband a year ago. The nerve! I was pretty worked up, at her having spent time with my sexy husband and all, when I woke up.

I told David the whole dream, and he asked me what color the girl's hair was. I told him blond, and he said "Not to worry. I've never gone for blondes." Which was supposed to be comforting. When meanwhile, I am thinking, can anyone make sense of this incredibly strange dream??

Any ideas? :)

The Country Chiropractor

Yesterday the husband and I traveled a good 35-40 miles to get to a good chiropractor. My neck and jaw were out of alignment, and it was making me grumpy and tired. The husband was hoping we could fix these ills and get back to our normal domestic happiness.

Enter the country chiropractor. I'll call him Dr. H. The minute we pulled up to his small office and I saw the "The Country Chiropractor" on the front of the building, I couldn't stop smiling. The chairs inside looked like real leather. And the front desk opening was all wood--it looked just like the post office teller's desk or something in Little House on the Prarie. This was going to be interesting. Before long, I found out Dr. H and his wife had been in business in this office for 45 years!

Despite their longevity, Dr. H's methods were very up-to-date. He uses an electric activator, which looks sort of like this picture, except it is electric:

I climbed on a small platform, then he lowered the table down. It appeared Dr. H's goal was to make both of my legs the same length. He kept watching the legs to see if they were aligning as he took the electric activator and zapped my neck, my lower back, my jaw, etc., etc. I say "zapped," but there was no shock, and it only hurt once on a sensitive area of my neck. He kept asking me to look left and right so he could tell if things were lining up correctly and if he was fixing my neck so I could have full range of motion.

When all was said and done, he lowered me back on to the platform and said I might be slightly dizzy. I was, but within seconds regained my balance. I was trying to assess if the treatment had worked. Within five minutes, while we were still in Dr. H's office talking with him and his Mrs., I knew that it had. I was so loose, relaxed, and in alignment, that I thanked him again.

I'm not sure, but that might have been the best chiropractic adjustment I have ever had. It certainly was gentle and effective. And loads better than the two adjustments from the "I'll beat those kinks out of ya" chiropractor I had a few months back. No spasming or inflammation this time. Just pure comfort. From a country chiropractor. Who knew?

For more information on activator techniques, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activator_technique

 

Oh, and many thanks to Dr. H and his dear wife. Hope they stay in business for years to come. I can truly say he is the best country chiropractor I have ever had occasion to know. I'm not saying he's a miracle worker, but he did fix my neck and restore domestic happiness in my home. And I'm grateful!

Cheers.